Schools consultation comes to an end

Vicky Galligan, members of Save Shevington Federation and founder of the petition against the proposed closure of a Shevington Primary School, gets ready to hand over the petition with over 1,900 signatures, to Wigan Town Hall.

Published:15:36Thursday 28 July 2016

Council bosses have thanked residents who have taken part in a consultation about plans that could see a Wigan primary school closed.

The public consultation about school places in Shevington finished this week with almost 650 people plus community groups and organisations taking part.

The plan has received strong opposition with campaigns set up to save each of the schools, Shevington Vale, Community Primary and Millbrook.

As well as a petition being handed in to the town hall, the Save Shevington Federation has written an open letter to the council challenging the legality of the proposal.

Alan Lindsay, assistant director for education at Wigan Council, said: “We would like to thank everyone who took part in this consultation and shared their views on the future provision of school places in Shevington. We have been clear throughout this process that our priority is to secure the highest standards of education for the children of Shevington.

“The helpful engagement of individuals and groups from the schools involved and across their communities during this consultation is now being evaluated. Due to the range of information submitted and our desire to ensure all views are thoroughly considered, we have decided to postpone the decision making process, originally planned for August.”

A report into the consultation outcomes and any proposals will now go to Cabinet in October.